Maryam Soltani was born in Tehran, Iran but quickly moved to Northern California where she was raised. She studied Psychology at UC Davis and after graduating she spent 2 years working as a research associate in a human neuroscience lab. She then decided to attend UC Berkeley (Cal), where she earned a PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience. While at Cal she started a research collaboration between Cal and UCSF that involved recording brain waves directly off of the human cortex in patients with brain tumors and/or epilepsy. The project resulted in several peer-reviewed publications and was very successful, but Maryam wanted to do more for the patients she was working with. So, she decided to go to medical school after finishing her PhD. But, she did take a small detour on the way. She worked as an adjunct professor and lecturer for a couple of years as she geared-up for medical school. In the end, she made it South to UC San Diego where she attended medical school. It appears that Maryam is taking an educational tour of all the UCs. In medical school Maryam discovered the combined program and “St. Vinnie’s” Clinic. She instantly fell in love with all aspects of the program. She volunteered with us, did the sub-I and decided to stay for her residency. Maryam cannot be happier. Combined medicine will allow her to fulfill all of her dreams, namely taking care of the whole patient, something completely missing in her past life. Maryam has a number of interests but closest to her heart is art. She enjoys writing short stories and accompanying them with illustrations. And, she’s a big fan of the movies, especially independent flicks.